Boy, did I pick a bad day to forget my camera!
Leah's favorite part of this trip is traveling by subway, so we took the elevated train (S-Bahn) a few blocks from the Reichstag -- Berlin's current parlimentary building. Forgetting, of course, that Germany is getting geared up to commemorate 20-years of reunification (called Tag der Deutschen Einheit).
The Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate (a block south) both had large stages setup in front of them. The square in front of the Reichstag -- where I had planned to free Alice for a little exercise -- was taken up by the stage, VIP seating area, tech crews and the lawn was barricaded, ready for the masses to watch the concerts planned. The long tree-lined avenue through the Teirgarten leading up to the Brandenburg gate was lined by food vendors, gaming booths, carnival rides and a tall ferris wheel on the opposite end. All getting ready for massive crowds this weekend.
We passed under Brandenburg Gate to the Unter Den Linden side. That small square is usually closed off to traffic and full of crowds taking photos. Today, we spotted a bear, two WW2 soldiers -- one German, one American -- a Native American cheif (why?) and a Star Wars Storm Trooper. And a news crew filming it all. Yup, definitely a party atmosphere.
We'll return this weekend to celebrate, and take pictures, too.
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